Floor plan for single-family house 164 sqm / 2 full floors optimization

Hello everyone,

thank you very much already for the numerous inputs. Attached again are the drawings in higher resolution and a section of the floor plan as well as our thoughts on your comments. Note: We purchased both plot no. 11 and 13. These were merged.

[*
Kitchen
[LIST]
[*]It is not yet finally planned whether an island or a counter adjoining a wall


[*]Study/Hallway


[*]Was originally planned narrower (approx. 9.5 sqm). But that was too small for us in case we want to place a bed there later, so we moved the hallway a bit to the east and the wall between HTR and kitchen a bit further south. Whether the hallway area is now large enough, we may have to mark it out on the floor in real size once more.


[*]Guest WC/Door


[*]Due to the changes in hallway/study, it has become quite small. A walk-in shower is planned. The size planned now is also not really clear to me from the floor plan. We will have to talk to the planner again here to see if it is possible to take a bit from the HTR to make it a bit airier.


[*]Bathroom


[*]The passages at the toilet and shower also seem very narrow to me. This was originally planned differently, but we wanted a T-wall solution. You had some ideas there to optimize it.


[*]Dressing room/Bedroom


[*]I find the shifting of the wall to widen the dressing area a good idea. In general, there was still the question that if the bed is left as it is (2m width) the 50cm on the right and left become too tight.


[*]Open Living/Kitchen/Dining area


[*]That is of course personal taste. We have such an open concept in our current apartment as well and would like to keep it. If noise upstairs becomes a problem, we thought one could close the stairway or the two passages from the hallway to the living room/kitchen with a glass grid door (industrial style) to keep it open. Hopefully, the ventilation system and a cooktop with direct extraction will help against odors.


[*]Windows


[*]The planning is not yet final. However, we have already identified the following change requests in the current draft
[*]- Windows 2x1.77m in the children's room both facing south / children's room windows to the west and east 2x1.50m
[*]Dressing room also 1.50m window height
[*]Bedroom to the east also 1.50m window height
[*]Window in living room above sofa facing south only 0.88m high


[*]Utility room upstairs


[*]This should serve as storage and laundry room. The planner has marked a washbasin. We would not need that. Washing machine and possibly a drying rack should find room here.
[*]

I have another question as well. Do you see the chance to accommodate a half-landing staircase if the staircase is given a bit more space towards the east (clear room height 279cm)? Perhaps the wall between the kitchen and HTR as well as the small wall between the staircase and kitchen could be shifted a bit to the east.

[*
Utility room on the upper floor
[LIST]
[*]It is intended to serve as a storage and laundry room. The planner has drawn in the washbasin. We would not need that. This room is meant to house the washing machine and possibly a drying rack.

So basically a junk room. I would rather divide this narrow space into a wall-to-wall wardrobe in the bathroom, a bit more width in the bedroom, and a wardrobe accessible from the hallway. To do that, shorten the bedroom and add the walk-in closet space to it.

I have one more question. Do you see a chance to accommodate a landing staircase if the stairway is given a bit more space towards the east (clear room height 279cm)? Perhaps the wall between the kitchen and the HTR as well as the small wall between the stairs and the kitchen could be shifted a bit eastwards.

No, that is not possible. The problem is the door to the bathroom on the upper floor.

I have another question as well. Do you see the possibility to accommodate a landing staircase if the staircase is given a bit more space towards the east (clear room height 279cm)? Maybe the wall between the kitchen and HTR as well as the small wall between the staircase and kitchen could be shifted a bit further east.

That will be a mess. It doesn’t fit at the top either and ruins everything at the bottom. If it’s that important to you, a bay window for the staircase would probably be the easiest solution. Of course, that costs money. Or you could completely redesign it there ... If you own both plots, why is the house placed like that? The average builder prefers the west terrace – east is rather unpopular.

No, that’s not possible. The problem is the door upstairs leading to the bathroom.

And what if the storage room were omitted as suggested?

That will be a mess. It doesn’t fit upstairs either and ruins everything downstairs. If it’s that important to you, then a bay window for the staircase would probably be the simplest solution. Of course, it costs money. Or you could completely redesign the plan ...

If you own both plots, why is the house positioned like that? The average builder prefers a west-facing terrace – east is rather unpopular.

It was just an idea. I have no real idea how far a landing staircase would extend into the living area. If the utility room upstairs were removed and the bedroom and bathroom combined, it might be possible to move the door. The half-turned staircase is okay for us. A landing staircase would simply be easier to use. We don’t want a bay window on the outside due to cost and aesthetic reasons.

It is a corner plot and there is a street along the west and north sides. We have therefore arranged the house so that it opens to the interior of the property on the south and east sides. The west and north sides should be more "screened from view." A double garage is also planned for the east side.
A corner terrace is planned along the floor-to-ceiling windows on the east and south sides. This way, there would still be sun and light there in the evenings from the west.

Attached is an excerpt from Google Maps again. I believe the streets and neighboring houses are not clearly visible in the cadastral map.